Cognitive Behavioral (CBT) Therapists in Albany, CA

My approach to therapy emphasizes self knowledge, empowerment and insight helping move towards a more integral, meaningful and gratifying life. It is with passion and kindness that I witness the healing transformation a person goes through in the therapeutic relationship. Originally from Brazil, I speak English, Spanish, and Portuguese working with clients who speak these languages. Three theories permeate my work: the Integral theory of Ken Wilber, Psychodynamic theory, and Hakomi. I integrate into the analysis the physical, mental, emotional, and social parts of the self (Integral) in a mindfulness-based, body inclusive, and experiential perspective (Hakomi).

I offer a compassionate, safe space in which to explore and work with the feelings, fear, anxieties and uncertainty of these challenging times. I also offer support and tools with which you can begin to change negative patterns, heal early wounding, learn to support yourself with self-acceptance, and open to new possibilities.

Therapy Without the Angst! Therapy doesn't have to take years and be intensely painful. I help clients to develop the skills to feel better soon. I'll teach you to calm your anxious mind, feel more confident, and find meaning in life challenges. As a licensed psychotherapist for over 30 years, I've culled the best of many different techniques, for instance: CBT helps change unproductive thinking and behavior; insight therapy offers awareness; and DBT helps to regulate intense emotions and reactions. I offer not just therapeutic techniques but good-old common sense!

Welcome to my therapy practice. I offer in-depth and integrative therapy to clients seeking to alleviate mental health symptoms and restore their relationship with themselves and others. My approach suits well clients seeking to understand themselves better, overcome unresourceful patterns, and integrate their inner guidance to increase their capacity to engage with life in harmony with their values, feelings, and needs.

Life is messy. As we all navigate it the best we can, a lot of us find survival strategies that make sense at the time but don’t serve us in the long run. If you or your child are having trouble in relationships, feeling consistently down or anxious, or finding yourself stuck in painful past experiences, therapy can help identify patterns that don’t serve you and build practices that enable you to thrive. ​

I am a seasoned clinical psychologist with extensive experience providing mental health treatment. I work from the perspective that people strive to understand themselves, and want to create positive change in their lives so they can meet their potential. I believe that treatment works best when it is tailored to your individual personality and needs .

I have seventeen years experience as a clinician and have been licensed for the past 14 years. I enjoy working with adolescents (16 and older), adults and couples. I work collaboratively with clients to clarify what they want to get out of therapy and then work towards those goals with compassion, creativity, and a large tool box.

Dr. Ponting is a licensed clinical psychologist specialized in treating anxiety, traumatic stress, and depression in adults and children. In her roles as a researcher and clinician, she focuses on improving mental health during the transition to parenthood, including pregnancy and the postpartum period. Dr. Ponting also works with families with young children ages 2-6 who have experienced a recent traumatic event.

There are times everyone needs to feel heard, especially during times of uncertainty. My focus is to help clients navigate life transitions, teach coping skills to manage anxiety, depression, grief, and loss, and nurture a strong identity. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who has a holistic approach that draws from CBT, psycho-dynamic, and mindfulness-based models that help to work through negative thought and behavioral patterns while building insight into intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships.

Are you struggling with worry, sadness, the effects of trauma, and/or managing life transitions and losses? Are you a couple in crisis or needing support to navigate your relationship? If so, I maybe able to help. I am a licensed therapist with over 25 years experience working with adults and couples. With advanced training, compassion, and kindness, I work with clients to help them identify the areas they are struggling and then provide structure, support, and intervention to make changes and find relief from discomfort, frustration, and suffering. I work with clients from a warm and empathic, non-judgmental approach.

The combination of strong anxiety and strong intellect poses special challenges for those caught in the crosshairs. I help individuals with active, analytical minds to work through anxiety-related problems such as panic, worry, avoidance, and compulsive thoughts or habits. My approach is warm, practical, and evidence-based, grounded in both mindfulness and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

I custom-tailor the therapeutic process to suit your individual needs. Together, we will set goals for your healing. I will encourage you to draw upon your own strengths and life experience by learning to trust yourself and your intuition.

I am an experienced therapist who is described as compassionate, interactive and comfortable to work with. As a trauma informed therapist, I specialize in working with people who have had challenging and traumatic life experiences. I work with individuals who experience a wide range of distress, including anxiety, panic, depression, relationship issues, hopelessness and self doubt. Building a relationship with a therapist with whom you feel comfortable and validated is the first step and I will be thoughtful about your needs.

I welcome individual adults, parenting couples and teens into my private practice. My clients often wish to discuss improving their mood, increasing performance at work/school, identifying problems in relationships, exploring their gender identity and establishing healthy screen time/social media habits. With all clients, my initial goal is to offer a safe, non-judgemental space in which we can discover what facets of life most impact them, and how. The goal of my therapies is always to unravel with clients how they arrived in the stressful circumstances they currently inhabit, and how to work on reducing emotional pain.

My work is practical, eclectic, and deep. I am gentle and caring, yet focused and effective. I utilize mindfulness, cognitive therapy, and psychodynamic understanding to help clients make the changes they want. I look to see the goodness and strength of each person I meet. My interest in psychotherapy began with my own healing as a young man, and I have continued to grow as a person and a therapist.

Early experiences result in our developing defensive structures that are meant to protect our vulnerability, but also create restrictions in our capacity to feel or perceive what is happening in the moment. This patterning shapes our perception of others, and also of ourselves. Although traditional insight-oriented talk therapy allows for an understanding which can harmonize our awareness with our everyday life, we embody early experience in ways that limit the power of insight to undo, and restrict our emotional intelligence. My orientation to psychotherapy is to work through emotional and experiential patterning, without bypassing the power of understanding.

I tend to work with and help those that are impacted by anxiety and/or depression on a daily basis, hindering overall well-being but also in specific areas of life as well. I look to support, educate, guide and collaboratively work with my clients of any age, aiming to help them get to where they want to be in their lives. I focus on helping you determine which goals you'd like to focus on that uses your own core values in your life to help bring more meaning to the the thoughts you have and the things you do each day.

I offer a safe, warm space to explore hard things. I help people feel heard and less alone by bringing curiosity and compassion to the work of therapy. Together, we will explore the path forward to help you find more fulfillment. I love supporting clients going through life or career transitions, helping them explore their values and roadblocks. I specialize also in working with social impact professionals. It is a brave and bold act to invest in yourself and your happiness. You deserve it! Let's get started.

I work with individuals of all ages, including couples and families, to foster emotional health and equilibrium. Together, we build a positive therapeutic relationship to explore patterns and find solutions. I bring a tailored approach to treatment that draws on elements of attachment theory, strength-based therapy, mindfulness, ACT, and CBT. I apply these approaches to support clients, including teens and young adults facing anxiety and depression, adults and couples navigating relationships, couples preparing for children, and parents seeking support in achieving work-family-personal balance.